The Time War that Never Was
by Luminara Selune
Summary: After the End of Time, the Doctor is ready to give up but a revelation from the Master forces him to confront a terrible truth.
1. Prologue

Prologue

The Doctor staggered into the TARDIS, his goodbyes finished, and, as the Ood said, his song ending. His body felt weak and hot. He could barely drag himself to the TARDIS console and, all the while, his head pounding. 1-2-3-4. 1-2-3-4. A voice echoed around the TARDIS from behind him.

"Well, aren't you a sight for sore eyes." The Doctor turned and stared at the man leaning in the doorframe of the TARDIS, whose smirk was quickly dropping off his face at the sight of the Doctor.

"Rassilon, Doctor what have you been doing to yourself?" The Doctor stared at him and then turned away.

"Doctor? Doctor…Doctor! Are you alright?" The man's hair gleamed blond in the TARDIS' light and he strode forward, grasped the doctor's arms spinning him around to face him. The Doctor's face remained bowed and he muttered under his breath in response the question.

"You're not real, Master. You died with all the others. Burned with Gallifrey." The Master gaped at him and shook him, forcing the Doctor's gaze from his black suit into his eyes.

"I'm here, Doctor. I'm real," The Master stared into his eyes, his voice calm and level, "What happened to you?" The Doctor tore his eyes away from the Master's and drew in a deep breath before speaking emotionlessly in a monotone.

"Radiation, right after the time lock closed, he knocked four times." The Master stared at him, his face a mixture of shock and confusion.

"Who knocked, Doctor?" The Master queried compassionately.

"Wilfred Mott." The Doctor replied tearily before breaking into great, gasping sobs and sinking to the floor, the Master's arms encircling him as the Master knelt next to him. The Doctor continued to sob unabashedly, muttering about how he had to save and he couldn't leave him, while the Master just comforted him and rubbed his back. When the Doctor's sobs had quieted, the Master softly asked him a question.

"Thete, what have you been doing since then?" The Doctor looked up, astonished by the use of his old name, startled into replying.

"I was saying goodbye to everyone, saving them if I could because I wouldn't see them again." Tears roll down his eyes as he gazes at the Master in sorrow. The Master grabs him and pulls him into a hug while murmuring to the Doctor,

"You fool, couldn't drag yourself to a hospital or even the TARDIS med bay first?" the Master feels the Doctor's head moving against his chest and loosens the hug. The doctor's head remains down and shaking from side to side as he replies.

"Their lives were worth more…" The Master feels a rage build in his heart as he shouts at the Doctor.

"More than what, Doctor? Yours?" The Doctor's body starts to slump back as a whisper escapes his lips.

"Always…" As the Doctor falls into unconsciousness, hears a voice shouting his name as the world goes black.


	2. Chapter 1

Chapter 1: Revelations, Relationships, and Revenges

The Doctor regained consciousness, the thick smell of antiseptic permeating his senses even before the blackness lifted from his eyes revealing a stark white ceiling.

"Huh," he thought, "It should be a different color, blue or something, more soothing."

"So, you're awake." A snarky voice cut into his thoughts. He looked from the ceiling toward the voice, and saw rooms of stark white to match the ceiling and in the doorway of the room, a man who couldn't possibly be there.

"Master?" The Doctor's voice cut through the air, harsh, sharp and questioning. The Master smirked and straightened, detaching himself from the doorway.

"Points to the time lord in front," the Master said and followed it up with a bow and sardonically spoke, "The Master, at your service." The Doctor frowned, struggling to sit up under the pressure of heavy blankets and a lingering weakness in his bones.

"Where am I, Master? What have you done?" He demanded his voice raising tensely as he contemplated the Master's visage. The master chuckled and strode across the room, throwing himself into the seat next to the Doctor's bed. He leaned forward and looked right at the Doctor while asking him a question.

"What's the last thing you remember?" The Doctor paused in his slightly confused movements, as he had been trying sit up, face the Master and shuffle away from him. The Doctor looked away from the Master, his face contorting as he tried to remember what had happened. His voice stammered out, haltingly as he struggled to remember.

"I opened the door for Wilfred…and…I saw Martha…and Ricky the idiot. Donna! Oh poor Donna. And Sarah Jane…Jack, and Rose. I saw Rose, I shouldn't have done it but I did." He paused and the Master prompted him, "What then?" the smirk still creeping on the corners of his smile. The Doctor frowned in concentration and continued.

"I walked toward the TARDIS through the snow, it was cold, really cold. I saw Ood Sigma and I think he was singing or talking about singing or something and I went into the TARDIS. And then you were there and then there's nothing." Here the Master jumped in.

"You passed out," The Doctor looked at him askew, the Master grinned, "No really, you did. You were very sick, radiation, so this time I got to be the man who makes people better. Then I brought you here." The Master's lifted his hands, indicating the room around him. The Doctor glances around, his face briefly softens before it snapped back into a frown as he faced the Master who was grinning gleefully at him.

"I was dying. My song was ending." The Doctor said. His voice forced out through clenched teeth. The Master nodded.

"Yes and then I made you better and brought you here." The Doctor scowled, but his voice was curious.

" Where is here?" The Master leaned back in his chair, his fingers steepling together as he started to explain.

"Here is the hospital outside New New York, the year sometime after the Earth was destroyed." The Doctor blinked as he processed the information, then resumed his struggling to get out of the bed. The Master looked on unmoving. The Doctor, after he had extricated himself from the bed, faced the Master, his face furious and his body wavering.

"We have to leave here now. I'm crossing my timeline again and the nuns in charge of this hospital are" The Doctor's furious rant was cut off by the Master's tone of detached pleasure as he finished the Doctor's sentence.

"Are using living, homegrown humans to cure everything?" The Doctor stared at him in astonishment, his mouth open as the Master continued, "Yes, I know, I also know that it's quite a bit prior to your first visit, you're entered under the name John Smith and oh yes you were dying of radiation poisoning before I found you, required medical treatment and these unethical nuns provide the most reliable service." The Master drew out the last couple of words, emphasizing just how stupid he thought the Doctor's actions were. "Now sit down! You are still weak and you nearly died." The Master's voice rose up, forcing the Doctor to sit down on the bed.

A few minutes later, after the Master's breathing had slowed and the Doctor was situated back in his bed. The Master looked at him with a slight glare and began to speak.

"Now Doctor, you are recovering from an extreme case of radiation poisoning due to exposure to 500,000 rads of (jdofoekk) radiation due to the fracturing of the immortality gate. Even though you delayed treatment and ran yourself ragged nearly to the point of death, you will suffer no permanent damage, however…" here the Master's voice rose and his glare intensified, "If you ever do anything like this again, I will personally kill you and all your remaining regenerations with my bare hands, am I clear, Doctor?" The Doctor nodded his expression a mix of fear, stubbornness and consternation. The Master smirked, his smile illuminating his eyes.

"Good," The Master said, his voice cheery and chipper just as it had been right before he killed the president. The Doctor shuddered as the Master continued.

"Now since you were trying to die and didn't, I presume you have questions. So, please ask them now, as I have something to tell you as it has been delayed enough with your stupidity already." The Doctor's anger flared up and he started to protest. The Master smiled and relaxed in his chair. His voice flowed out all honey and patience.

"Please continue Doctor, you are merely proving my point." The Doctor's mouth shut with a snap and he glared at the Master, who merely smiled peacefully at him and started tapping his fingers in a familiar rhythm. The Doctor cringed and his voice flared angrily out.

"Would you stop that tapping?!" The Master continued tapping and calmly asked, "That depends will you act your age?" The Doctor scowled and asked, "Why are you here?"

The Master scoffed derisively and replied in a singsong tone, " Ah, I already answered that. I told you I have something to tell you. Next?"

"Why did you save me?" The Master shook his head and laughed.

"What?" The Doctor asked defensively.

"You're just very repetitive. Same answer." The Master replied amusement coloring his voice. The Doctor frowned in concentration.

"Did you call me by my old name when you were in the TARDIS?" The Master's laughter tapered off and his expression closed, revealing nothing.

"Now that's for me to know and you to find out. But," and the Master smirked, "It does seem unlikely, you know mortal enemies you and me." The Doctor hunched down in his soft blankets, tiredness coloring his tone as he replied.

"Yes, of course, how silly of me." The Doctor's head bowed, his words tumbled into his chest.

"Right then if there are no more questions, I shall tell you why I'm here." The Master's merry voice flowed over the Doctor who was suddenly very, very angry.

"Oh, what Master, you're going to share with me some plot to take over the world, or the universe or whatever and it just wouldn't be the same without me there for you to taunt? Or something else with all-consuming drumming? The Master needs to get back to war? Huh? Why…Are…You…Here? Either tell me or get the hell away from me!" The Doctor's voice reverberated around the room, echoing. The Doctor sat his chest heaving. The Master looked at him and sighed. He spoke softly and slowly no humor in his voice, barely any emotion at all.

"I'm here to tell you that the Time War never happened." The Doctor sat back, stunned. He choked a reply.

"What? But? I was there. I saw it. I ended it!" He broke down crying. The Master sighed again. His voice tired as he reached across the bed and pulled the Doctor's head to face him.

"I know but they lied, the time lords, the council. The war was for you and you alone." The Doctor pulled away. His voice was harsh, hurt and angry.

"That doesn't make any sense, I lived through that war. It destroyed everything. Get out. Get out of here, now!" The Doctor's voice rose into a scream as he spoke before tapering off. The Master sighed and pushed himself out of his chair. He walked to the door, turned and said one thing before leaving.

"Good day Doctor, and I'm sorry." Then he turned and walked from the room shutting the door on the Doctor's tears as the Doctor slid down into his bed.

The next morning, The Master quietly opened the door to the Doctor's room, walked to the center of the room, standing right in front of the Doctor, and waited. The Doctor sat within his throne of pillows and took in the Master's appearance; a nearly identical black suit had replaced the one he wore yesterday. His hair was still short and bright blond but the stubble that had marred his chin before Gallifrey returned was gone. However dark shadows hung heavy under his eyes and his posture was tense and rigid. The Doctor sighed and spoke.

"Start at the beginning, explain and I'll listen." The Master's shoulders relaxed. He looked at the Doctor and then at his hands, sighed with pain and sorrow and began his story.

"Last I saw you, you had just broken the white point star and I had stopped the Lord President from killing you. Then Gallifrey fell and I was pulled into the time lock with all the other Time Lords. I had pretty much run through my life force and I collapsed as soon as Gallifrey returned to its place in the universe and the time lock sealed. When I came to I was in a small room, I had been cleaned up and the weakness that I'd felt since I came back from death was gone. There was a table and two chairs, solitary furniture in a solitary room. The Lord President entered and sat in one of the chairs, he waved his hand, implying that I should sit. I sat, still in shock that I was alive. The Lord President told me that his name was Rassilon, hah we knew better don't we, we who have met Rassilon. Apparently this Time Lord is calling himself Rassilon the Second, a reincarnation of the original Rassilon. He's been in power since your eighth regeneration. The Lord President then proceeded to thank me and said my performance was invaluable. The drums were beating furiously in my head; I demanded he explain what he was talking about. He reached across the table and grabbed my head. Instantly the drums faded from my head…" Here the Doctor interrupted.

"Wait, gone? The drums are completely gone?" The Master smiled ruefully with a touch of sorrow and replied.

"Yes, they're completely gone as if they…were…never…there." The Doctor beamed, his entire face brightening. The Master smiled a small tight grin in response.

"But that's brilliant! That they're gone after tormenting you for so long!" The Doctor said his voice thick with joy and elation. The Master sighed, his voice full of sorrow and dark humor.

"Yeah, so long…" The Master shook his head and, clearing his throat of all sorrow hidden and not, continues his story.

"Anyway something else happened when Rassilon the "Second" removes the drums. It was like becoming the Master again after being Professor Yana. A flood of new memories overloaded my system. I collapsed on the table and the Lord President left smirking. A completely new set of memories slotted into my mind, from the day the Council gave me the new set of regeneration to the day I ran away and hid. You remember, the War was just starting; the Daleks were swarming across the universe, destroying everything. Well it was around that time that the Council began hatching a plan, a plan that would solve all of their problems without any harm to themselves. And thus the Last Great Time War began. You see, in my memories I realized that the Time Lords had the Daleks well in hand. The Time Lords had destroyed and unmade entire civilizations and they couldn't deal with some tin robots with squids inside. Heck the Daleks were well on the way to destroying themselves what with the dissension between the original Daleks and Davros' Imperial Daleks. Yet, they kept sending you to deal with the Daleks, every time. And sure you always defeated them and yet there were always more. Even now after the Time War has ended, you're still fighting Daleks and just when you think they've gone more show up, right?" The Master looked at the Doctor for confirmation, who nodded curtly, the Master continued his story.

"Well the truth is that the Council had the Daleks well in hand but in the idea of a Time War they saw an opportunity to leave the universe, total non-interference. Oh rumors of the Great Culture of the Time Lords, which sacrificed itself to save the universe, well, that appealed to them. But they had a problem, the biggest interferer of them all, The Doctor, you. And yet, in that problem they found the perfect solution, a concrete way to cement the rumors of the Time War and to keep the planet Gallifrey alive in legend, the last of the Time Lords, the soldier who had to enact the final end to the war. So they lied, they manipulated and then they borrowed a little trick from my book." Here the Doctor interrupted, a hint of skepticism entered his voice.

"Oh, and what's that?" The Master stared him straight in the eye and answered.

"Hypnotism, yes they took the combined strength of the minds of Gallifrey and fed a lie into your mind. And a great lie it was covering everything from the Time War to the destruction of Gallifrey. They kept doing it until they were certain the idea had taken and it did. You were the Oncoming Storm, the Lonely God, the Destroyer of Wars, and the Last of the Time Lords. Of course some of our people objected: your family, friends, and just some people who thought it was wrong." The Doctor interrupted again, his voice full of barely concealed pain and anguish.

"And?" The Master bowed his head, his voice morose.

"First they were persuasive, that this plan was the best idea for Gallifrey and the continuation of Time Lord society and a lot of people believed, that's how they got Romana, then it was exile and banishment…"Here the Master paused his voice full of sorrow and sympathy, "I'm sorry Doctor, I tried to find them but no one seen your family in years, if they're still alive, they went deep underground." At this point the Doctor was weeping his head in his hands, while the Master stalwartly looked on never moving. After a few minutes, the Doctor composed himself and waved his hand to indicate that the Master should continue. The Master took a deep breath and spoke.

"And then there was me." At this the Doctor looked up, tear tracks lining his face and he scoffed.

"You?" The Master flinched a little at the Doctor's tone but pressed on anyway.

"Me, well you know, me and the Time Lords never saw eye to eye and really I wasn't in the mood to accept an eternity under the Council's thumb. Plus I didn't want to never see my best enemy again right Doctor?" At this the Doctor smiled weakly, the Master grinned at him but quickly lost his smile and his silence.

"So, I stuck to the shadows, planning to pull a Doctor, you know, steal a TARDIS and run away." Here the Doctor interjected.

"And you succeeded which lead to Professor Yana and the Year that never was." But the Master shook his head, contradicting the Doctor and corrected him.

"No, I failed, they caught me and ripped the knowledge from my mind, but the Council kept it quiet, I mean if the Doctor's worst enemy objects to the plan what does that say, so they changed my mind literally, made me a coward, made me run and since they didn't have all the power they had when they hypnotized you, they made a patch, the drums, something to distract me from ever thinking rationally or looking beyond the surface of anything. Then they did the last editing to your lie, making you think that the drums had always followed me. Finally they made me human and dumped me at the end of the universe figuring that would kill me. And from there they were free to perpetrate their great lie and leave the universe on your shoulders." Here the Master paused, waiting for the Doctor to react. The Doctor looked him straight in the eye and through gritted teeth ground out a question.

"What else?" The Master looked puzzled.

"What do you mean?" The Doctor's control snapped and he shouted.

"I mean, what else? Master" he tagged on the "Master sarcastically, the Master managed a weak grin and replied.

"I like it when you use my name." The Doctor's arms slammed down on the tray in front of him, rattling an uneaten breakfast. The Master flinched back again.

"Master, I know you're hiding something, now tell me!" the Master sighed and rubbed his eyes, he muttered under his breath, " It was so much easier when I was evil and could lie to you," before he continued, his voice full of bitterness and shame, "After I sorted out my memories, I explored Gallifrey and got to know my home again. Doctor, it's full of corruption, any nobility the Time Lords had is gone. This Rassilon the Second has run Gallifrey into the ground." Horror started to cover the Doctor's expression and he opened his mouth to speak but is interrupted by the Master's harsh and broken laugh. The Doctor closed his mouth as the Master looked intensely at him, a manic smile on his face but his voice full of bitterness and anger.

"And their source of entertainment Doctor?" Here he pointed to the Doctor, a bitter smile overtook his face, "You, they have Dalek pens on Gallifrey, the sole purpose of which is to have Daleks on hand whenever you get complacent or happy or start to forget the War even for a moment. Then, in some inexplicable way, the Daleks return, right?" The Doctor nodded and tried to get a word in again but the Master overrode him.

"Except that you kept getting better at defeating the Daleks, creating human-Time Lord Daleks, and defeating Davros and the massive army he created, so once again the Time Lords got creative. And, once again, they took advantage of me and the madness they had imposed on me. They forced you to act out the Time War again and destroy Gallifrey again, further solidifying the lie in your mind. That's why Rassilon thanked me; I made their performance believable because I really did believe it. And thus I remembered and found the truth, it was intolerable that they would treat you that way, that they would treat me that way! Unacceptable! So I ran again, all the way to Earth to find you, because you had to know." The Master stopped, his words had run out. The Doctor regarded him, trying to doubt him, to find any hint of a lie, but there wasn't any. He sighed, a sigh of regret, bitterness, anger and sorrow.

"Sit." The Doctor's voice rang out and startled the Master out of his contemplation of his own shoes. The Master looked around before he pointed to himself and asked, "Me?" The Doctor chuckled quietly and replied.

"Yes you, Master, now sit." The Master slowly strode to his chair and sat. The Doctor regarded him seriously before he asked the Master his first question.

"Master, You said that Rassilon the Second broke the hold on your mind, right," The master nodded uncertainly as the Doctor continued, "Can you break the Council's hold on me?" His voice was so vulnerable as the Master stared at him astonished and then considering.

"Well," The Master said, his voice thoughtful, "I can try, you know me. I've always been good at this hypnotism stuff." The Master smiled and The Doctor smiled back hesitantly.

"Okay," The Master pondered, "I'm going to have to connect our minds briefly. Do you trust me, Doctor?" The Doctor looked more nervous but then he took a steadying breath and replied.

"Yes, Master, I trust you." The Master suddenly smirked and leapt onto the Doctor's bed, straddling him.

"Good." The Master said gleefully, grabbed the Doctor's head in his hands and touched their foreheads together. Both sets of eyes slid shut. A minute passed, then two. Then the Master flinched back with a gasp. A moment later The Doctor let out a piercing scream of pain, turmoil, anguish and fury. The sound carried, reverberating around the room, a painful agonized cry like the banshees of old. The Doctor's back arched off the bed as his eyes snapped open, tears flowed unabated. The Master stared in horror as the Doctor screamed, onward a never-ending scream of death and pain.

Finally, a few minutes later, the scream abated and the Doctor collapsed onto the bed. The Master stood in and leaned over the Doctor, thinking he was unconscious. As he leaned down the Doctor's wide-open eyes snapped over to him. Shocked, the Master started to lean back but the Doctor's hand shot up and grabbed him by the neck. The Master choked, his hands scrabbling at the Doctor's hand, which was partially blocking his airway. The Doctor pulled him down by the neck as the Master continued to struggle.

"Master." The Doctor rasped, his voice harsh and broken after the screaming. The Master stopped struggling and looked straight into the Doctor's eyes. The eyes were fiery with anger, hate and rage.

"Doc-tor?" The Master managed to choke out through his captured air pipe. The Doctor smirked, just a little smile that in no way reached his, now cold, brown eyes.

"Master, Show me Gallifrey." The Doctor demanded, his eyes drilling into the Master allowing no retreat and no resistance. The Master nodded frantically, his air decreasing. The Doctor let go, his hand falling back to the bed. The Master sprang back, his eyes darting and his hand massaging his throat where dark finger marks were clearly visible. The Doctor followed him with his eyes, the dark look never leaving his face. The Master suddenly stared at him, their eyes meeting for the first time since the Doctor had released the Master. The Master was overwhelmed by the darkness contained within those eyes. He sank back down into his chair as the Doctor spoke, his voice weak and haggard from his screams.

"Master, take to Gallifrey now! I want to…" his voice trailed off as his eyes rolled back inn his head and collapsed again. The Master sat, taken aback for a moment before racing to the Doctor again.

"Doctor? Doctor!" he called as he shook the Doctor's shoulders, trying to rouse him, but the Doctor was dead to the world.

The Doctor woke screaming, images of fire and death flashed in front of his eyes the remnants of a nightmare, which combined the worst of the Time Lord's lie with the terrible truths and the sting of betrayal. He shot up in bed, his limbs flailed and the sheets twisted around him. The Master woke with a start at the sound of the Doctor's scream. He leapt from his chair and grabbed the Doctor's arms.

"Doctor! Doctor! Snap out of it!" The Master said forcefully but his words did nothing. Smack! The sound of the slap echoed around the room as the Doctor's scream petered out and the Master's hand fell to the side. The Doctor's hand was pressed to his face where the Master had slapped him.

"It was a nightmare, go to sleep!" The Master commanded. The Doctor glanced around the darkened room and vaguely nodded before settling back down in the bed. Within a few minutes, his breathing evened out and he began softly snoring. The Master sighed and settled in his chair. The pain in his neck reminded him of how uncomfortable it was. He settled in for a long night.

As the morning sun illuminated the stark hospital, the Doctor's eyes fluttered open. The pallor, which had been haunting his face, had faded and color was returning to his cheeks but the dark circles under his eyes bespoke of the terrible night he'd had. His eyes flicked from side to side as he sat up, quietly. His gaze focused on the Master, who was slumped in his chair, fast asleep. The Doctor cringed at the dark circles under his eyes and the darkened finger marks, which circled his neck.

"It's rude to stare." The Master stated dryly. The Doctor jerked back, as the Master's eyes opened and he stretched. The Doctor looked away and then turned back to face the Master, determination tightening his features making them harsh and his face lined. The Master looked at him, patiently waiting for him to speak.

"I'm sorry about…that." The Doctor said contritely, waving his hand to indicate the bruises he'd left on the Master's neck. The Master looked at him, amusement written across his face.

"This? This is nothing," he said condescendingly, "It not like you're at the peak of strength, Doctor, this barely tickled."

"Right." The Doctor said, letting the lie slip by because it was easier for both of them. Silence fell, both were waiting for the other to speak. The Doctor was staring steadily at his bedcover of dull white, when a thought occurred to him. His head whipped up to look at the Master who met his gaze looking relaxed.

"Master?" The Doctor queried, hesitating slightly.

"Doctor?" The Master repeated his question back at him.

"Why," The Doctor paused uncertain, "Why are you still here?" The Master smirked.

The Doctor glowered at him and spoke again.

"And don't say it's because you have something to tell me because frankly what you've told me is enough and I don't think I can take any more of your "news" at the moment."

"I want revenge. Pure and simple. The Time Lords had no right to do what they did to me!" The words "and to you" were left unspoken in the Master's mouth, but the implication of them hung in the air.

"So," the Doctor said quizzically, "what do you want me for?" The Master scoffed and derision filled his tone.

"Well, Doctor, I foolishly thought that you might possibly also want revenge or as you would call it "Justice" for what the Time Lords did to you. I figured that the two final Prydonian Renegades would have a better chance together than apart. But if not…I guess I could just leave you here." The Master started to stand.

'Wait, Master." The Doctor said, his voice firm with the barest hint of a plea. The Master sat back, and looked at him consideringly. The Doctor sighed and spoke.  
"You're right." At this, the Master smiled and looked disgustingly smug.

"What the Time Lords did was wrong, not only in what they did to us but in the destabilization in the universe caused by their departing." The Master sighed, a small rueful smile curling his face. The Doctor looked at him, puzzled.

"What?" The Doctor asked, bemused.

"You can never do anything simply for your own good, can you, Doctor? You can't get revenge simply for what they did to you, it has to be "justice" and not solely for your own sake. There has to be someone for you to save doesn't there. Can't you be selfish for once, but no you can't, can you? 'Cause you're the Doctor, the man who makes people better, but never bothers to take care of himself." The Master fumed, frustration coloring his face.

"That's not true!" The Doctor said indignantly, his voice raising.

"Ohh," The Master retorted, "How many times have you died to save a companion's life, for that matter, how many times have you sacrificed your own happiness for one of your companions, Doctor it's really ridiculous how self-sacrificing you are. Sometimes I suspect you have no concept of self-worth with your ridiculous Prometheus complex." The Doctor bristled.

"I do not have a Prometheus complex!" The Doctor said and scowled. The Master looked at him with amusement and condescension.

"Please, Doctor, you are the epitome of the Prometheus archetype, a powerful god-like being who sacrifices himself for the sake of humanity. Really it fits you to a tee." To which the Doctor responded, "Better to be self-giving than megalomanical, egotistic, and completely incapable of empathy." The Master mockingly put his hand to one of his hearts.

"Ohh, you cut me to the quick, Doctor, and you're probably right, my way is extreme and slightly unhealthy," Here the Doctor interrupted him with a scoffing, "Slightly." But the Master pressed on.

"However your way is completely too extreme and it's killing you, literally." Here the Doctor burst in, unable to contain himself.

"You're one to talk, you burned through 12 regenerations before I'd even gone through four." The Master bowed his head elegantly in acknowledgement of the point.

"I did blow through them rather quickly however, you cannot deny that I held on to that last body far better than you did." The Master said, calmly.

"You stole that body from Tremas! And you dropped my fourth incarnation off the Pharos project!" The Doctor exclaimed in rage. The Master shrugged.

"Meh, it's in the past." The Master said, brushing aside the Doctor's comments. The Doctor opened his mouth to response, before closing it and shaking his head in defeat.

"Why did we decide that working together was a good idea?" The Doctor said, resigned. The Master smiled merrily.

"Because the Time lords need to be taught a lesson and we're the best and only ones qualified for the job. Plus as I said before, 'Together then.'" The Master said cheerily. The Doctor looked at him bemused.

"And then several hours later you dropped me for a catwalk to my death." The Doctor replied nonchalantly with a sardonic bite. The Master brushed him off with a wave.

"Ohh, you regenerated. No big deal." The Master said with practiced indifference. The Doctor shook his head.

"Master, I have no idea with to do with you." The Doctor said, still bemused. Here the Master smiled with the slightest hint of evil.

"And that, my dear Doctor, is why I'm the one who always make the plans." The Master said with great superiority.

"Oy, I make plans!" The Doctor replied, with great dignity and self-righteousness. The Master smirked.

"Only at the last minute, by the seat of your pants." The Master said, amusement oozing from his tone. The Doctor cocked his head and considered.

"True." The Doctor acknowledged. The Master pretended to swoon.

"Why, Doctor, I think that's the fourth or fifth time you've admitted I'm right in the last couple days," then, clapping his hands and abruptly changing both his tone and the subject the Master said, "So, let's get out of this dreary hospital room and consolidate our plans in the TARDIS." The Doctor relaxed into his pillows.

"Agreed." He said, exhaustion coloring his voice.

"Right," the Master said cheerfully, "Let's get you out of that bed and into one of these generously provided wheelchairs." The Doctor sighed in resignation and started to get up as the Master went to get a wheelchair.

The Master wheeled the Doctor through the lobby, an announcement echoing through the room around them, "The pleasure gardens will now take visitors carrying green or blue identification cards for the next fifteen minutes. Visitors are reminded that cuttings from the gardens are not permitted." As the message ended they reached the entrance. The Master stopped right in front of the doors and spun the Doctor's chair around to face the bustling hall. He bent down and whispered in the Doctor's ear.

"Now, Doctor, you would do well to sit here and you wouldn't want to draw attention to yourself." The Doctor looked up at him, in puzzlement and slight worry.

"What are you planning? What? What are you doing?" The Doctor grabbed at the Master's sleeve trying to restrain him as he voice got louder and louder and more panicked. The Master looked down at him and pulled his arm free.

"Now, Doctor, careful, you wouldn't want to draw your attention." The Master said and strode quickly away. Full-blown panic erupted across the Doctor's face and he hissed desperately after the Master.

"Stop, you can't do this. Stop!" The Master smirked as he walked away, following a tall man with wild brown hair and a blond woman in a purple shirt. The man's voice flowed over the Master and his smirk widened.

"No shop. I like the little shop." The girl replied as the Master closed the distance between them. When the Master was within a few feet of the pair the man's voice rang out again.

"Human race moves on but so do the viruses. It's an ongoing war."

"Doctor!" The Master yelled. The man and the girl spun around as the Master strode briskly up to them. The Doctor smiled brightly at him.

"Hello, yes I'm the Doctor," the Doctor said and grabbed the Master's hand and shook it energetically, "umm, I'm sorry but have we met before?" The Master smiled and replied as Rose looked on disapprovingly. The Master replied, his smile now radiant.

"Not yet, but you will and oh I can't wait. And you," he said enthusiastically, " You must be Rose Tyler! Wonderful to finally meet you. Heard what you did on game station and I must say I approve. But, be sure to keep an eye on your Doctor, he has a tendency of letting people slip through his fingers." Here the Doctor interjected, wary.

"Who are you?" The Doctor asked, his face contorted with suspicion. The Master shook his head, his smile sliding toward a smirk.

"Now, Doctor, careful you wouldn't want to do anything that might disrupt the timeline. I'll see you later, Doctor." The Master turned and walked away. Rose turned to the Doctor.

"Who was he?" She asked curiously. He looked at her and considered for a moment before shaking his head.

"No idea. Though he did seem familiar, somehow." He looked around and suddenly pointed.

"That' where I'd put the little shop, right there." Rose smiled at him and they continued on.

The Master smirked as he walked back up to the Doctor who was scowling at him, worry and anger on his face.

"You shouldn't have done that!" The Doctor said angrily. The Master looked at him with fake confusion.

"Done what, Doctor? I just said hello to an old friend nothing more." The Doctor's scowl deepened, anger almost completely overwhelming the worry.

"You said it was years before I was here." The Doctor said. The Master shrugged.

"So I was off by a few years. I've seen you be off by far more. Now, Doctor its time to go. Don't want to linger around here all day. Somehow I get the feeling it's going to get busy around here." The Doctor glared at him and the Master laughed and wheeled the Doctor out the front doors.


End file.
